A guard showdown turned into the start of a good road trip for the Mountaineers.
Both teams entered the afternoon unranked and off three straight losses. WVU bounced back with Sunday’s win, improving to 14-7 overall and 5-5 in the conference while Cincinnati fell to 12-9 overall and 2-8 in Big 12 play.
After shooting just 2-for-5 from distance on Wednesday against Houston, Javon Small got off to a quick start in Cincinnati, making his first two attempts from three. Small went 3-for-4 from distance in the game’s first 10 minutes to lead WVU to a 19-11 lead.
Small’s early hot start fended off a strong shooting performance from Cincinnati, who started 3-for-4 from three. By the end of the half, that scoring was stopped, with Cincinnati finishing 4-for-10 from distance in the first.
Inside, WVU’s tenacious defense stopped the Bearcats, forcing nine turnovers in the first while holding the Bearcats to 7-for-27 from the field.
Alongside Small’s 14 first-half points, Amani Hansberry and Joseph Yesufu shined in the opening period, scoring six points each. On 3-for-7 shooting in 12 minutes, the 6-foot-8 Hansberry also tied Cincinnati’s Dillon Mitchell for the most first-half rebounds with six. Yesufu shot two threes and made them both in five minutes.
West Virginia led Cincinnati 40-25 at halftime. Scoring slowed significantly thereafter, with WVU leading 51-35 through 10 minutes in the second period.
Small and Yesufu finished in double figures for West Virginia, with Small scoring 19 on 6-for-13 shooting from the field and 4-for-7 shooting from three. He added nine assists, two blocks, two steals, and a rebound. Yesufu scored 16 points on 6-for-6 shooting, going 4-for-4 from three in just 14 minutes.
Cincinnati eventually closed the score a bit but ended up falling 63-50 to West Virginia. Cincinnati will look to break its losing streak yet another time on Wednesday against UCF at 7 p.m.
6-foot-8 Mountaineer guard Toby Okani went down with a leg injury in the final minutes and did not return. Okani finished 4-for-7 with eight points, three rebounds, and two blocks.
WVU continues its road trip with a plane ride to TCU on Wednesday. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. in Fort Worth.
Photo by Korey Moore, Blue Gold Sports
